Celebrating our Sources: Taoism/Daoism

Wisdom from the world’s religions inspires us in our ethical and spiritual life.

College professor and author, Paul Alan Laughlin describes the evolution of Taoism in this way. Tao began as pure undifferentiated non-dual Unity (an empty circle) that emerges from Nothing (wu chi). The first manifestation of change appeared as tai chi or yin and yang, dynamic duality. The entities resembled two fish, ever swirling around each other.

Each “fish” also has a small “eye” of the color of the other “fish”. There is blending.

Thus, almost nothing in the cosmos is completely yin or yang. (Sun, Moon, Earth and Heaven are the exceptions.) From yin and yang also came Earth, Water and Air. (The creation story continues.) And from them came 10,000 Things/Myriad Creatures/Everyday Reality.

Yin was seen as dark with a white “eye”– Moon, Earth, dark, moist, heavy, low, female, compliant, passive, humble. Foods such as seafood, tofu, eggplant, and miso soup are quietly all Yin.